What if you could wake up in the morning and not stress about your child’s safety at school? What if you lived in a world where, even though Covid might be raging, your sanity is intact and your kids are thriving in school.
Sound too good to be true?
For most of us that seems like a dream of reality’s past.
The truth is, we may not be able to feel 100% stress-free at the moment, but we can get close.
What if I told you there were 5 simple things you can do to save you from countless hours of stress during the next school year?
Let Me Tell You About It
These tips were introduced to me by one of my best friends in the world. She lives right down the street so we take socially distanced walks outside, drink wine, and lately, vent about our collaborative fear and worry going into the next school year.
But this last walk was different.
She showed up outside my house just as the sun was peeking out from behind the other houses. I stepped outside, enjoying a surprisingly mild temperature despite it being scalding hot during the day.
She had a spring in her step and looked lighter. For a woman with three kids heading off to school, she’s not normally the most rested. But she looked, dare I say, glowing.
I asked her what was up.
She replied, “I just feel like I have a whole new approach to this school year and I actually feel okay about it.”
Okay about it? How could anyone?
She went on to talk about these 5 amazing things she’s been doing that have really made a difference for her.
Could this be true?
Over the course of our walk, she told me her 5 tips for survival for the next school year. She had heard some from this mom, that mom, researched a ton on her own, talked to the kids’ doctors, talked to teachers, and had come up with these.
As the person in the friend group who is always rock solid with the advice, I thought I better listen up.
TIP #1 SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
This was a huge one. We can’t go into this school year comparing it to the ones before, especially those before COVID. There will likely be a lot of kinks to work out as we transition from online to in-person school or back to online school. The goal is to lower the bar for what we expect from our kids.
TIP #2 SPEAK UP
If you see something that is not in line with proper safety precautions or if you’re child is struggling and needs extra help, whatever it is, don’t be afraid to speak up, respectfully. You will feel much better if you speak your mind. Just remember, the school year is hard for everyone, including teachers. So be kind.
TIP #3 MANIFEST THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO
Wake up each morning, sit quietly, and imagine your children going off to school, being safe, taking precautions, laughing and enjoying themselves, and coming home safely. Picture you, at home or at work, stress-free. Enjoying your day, sipping your steaming cup of coffee, knowing you are doing everything you can, and that’s enough.
TIP #4 LET GO
We have to let go of what we can’t control. Each challenge that comes at us this year will not be like the next. It will be tough at times and some of it may be out of our control. However, it’s important to focus on what we can control and let the rest go.
What’s most important is not your kids got straight A’s this year, but rather they were a part of a happy, stress-free home where they felt safe to express themselves, learn, and grow. Focus on creating happy memories instead of perfection.
TIP #5 BEST AND WORST CHATS
Each morning and each night, ask yourself and your family one thing that was not so great that day and one thing they are grateful for that happened. This will help you get ahead of problems but also focus on the positives, even if they are small, every day.
Final Thoughts
I have already started putting these tips into action and I have to say they have made a real difference. My favorite part is our morning and evening chats. It helps us to end on a good note, reminding the kids that we care and we can talk about anything anytime.
We are all in this together. Learn how we can help.